Method of making felt shoes.



J. A. GREEN.

METHOD OF MAKING FELT SHOES.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 21, 1913.

1,081,956. Patented Dec. 23, 191-3.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGHAPH CO .WASHINIJTDN. u. c.

UNITED OFFICE.

JAMES A. GREEN, OLE IDOLGEVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO DANIEL GREEN FELT SHOE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING FELT SHOES.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

"atented Dec. 23, 1913.

Original application filed. June 8, 1912, Serial No. 702,389. Divided and. this application filed June 21, 1913. Serial No. 775,048.

1/ '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES A. GREEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Dolgeville, in the county of llerkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Felt Shoes, of which the following is a specification, this being a divisional application of my eopending application for United States Letters Patent filed June 8, 1912, Serial No. 702,389.

My invention relates to improvements in methods of manufacturing felt shoes, in which the vamp and upper are composed of felt or other shrinkable material, and the sole is composed of leather, and in which there is also a padded in-sole such as is shown and described in the lVilliam R. Green Patent No. 89%,733 of July 28, 1908.

The object of my invention is, among other things, to improve upon the methods of constructing such felt shoes by which there may be eliminated the sewed ridge along the inner tread of the shoe, and to avoid the use of hand sewing which is now required in uniting the inner felt sole to the upper in shoes or slippers made in accordance with the lVilliam R. Green Patent No. 894,733.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a felt shoe or slipper made according to my invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of the sole showing the stitching uniting the parts; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sole taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the upper before being united to the sole; and Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1, with the last inserted in the shoe.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, 6 is the upper composed of felt or other shrinkable material, and cut so as to form the upper part of a shoe or slipper and stitched at the rear part thereof at 7, as shown in Fig. 1.

8 is the sole composed preferably of leather and cut to the shape and size required by the length and width of the felt shoe or slipper proper; 10 is the inner felt sole or sock lining which forms the inner tread of the shoe; 12 is a stiffening inner sole or holder composed of buckram or other suit able material, upon which is secured a soft pad of carded wool 11 which extends over the entire sole 8. This padding 11 forms a cushion in-sole for the felt shoe or slip per, and is covered throughout by the inner felt sole or sock lining 10. A line of stitching 9, preferably zig-zag in formation, unites the edges of the inner sole or sock lining 10 to the edges of the outer sole 8, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

13 is the last with a hollow bottom, as shown in Fig. 5, extending throughout the length of the last and forming 'a concave recess within which the padding 11 and the sock lining 10 may be forced upwardly into place when the shoe is dampened and wetted, and placed upon the last so as to shrink to give it the desired form and finish.

1 1 is the continuous line of stitching uniting the upper and outer sole along their outer edges, as shown in Fig. 5.

My improved method is practised as follows z-The upper 6 is stitched upwardly along the rear at 7 the padding 11 is then stitched to the buckram stiffener 12 which in turn is glued or secured to the outer sole 8 as has been heretofore shown and described; then the inner fclt sole or sock lining 10 is placed so as to cover the padding 11, and is secured to the edges of the outer sole 8 by the stitching 9; then the outer sole 8 with its cushioned in-sole is placed in proper position beneath the upper (3 so that their outer edges meet as shown in cross-section in Fig. 5, and the edges of the upper and sole are united by the continuous line of stitching 14 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The shoe is now in the condition shown in Fig. 1. The upper 6 is now thoroughly dampened or wetted by plunging the same in water, and while still being wet the hollow bottom last 13 is inserted within the interior parts of the shoe which slightly stretches the upper and forces the inner padding 11 with its sock lining 10 upward into the concave recess of the last, and then the shoe is allowed to dry. During the process of drying the felt upper shrinks to such an extent as to give shape and contour to the upper of the shoe and to allow the inner tread of the sole to be rounded, while the outer sole 8 or bottom of the shoe is substantially fiat. The last is now removed and it will be observed, as shown in Fig. 5, that no ridge or creasing formed by stitching exists along the inner tread of the shoe,

and my improved method, therefore, pro-' longs the life of the shoe because there is no seam to become Worn, and also adds greatly to thecomfort of the wearer by avoiding any such protruding seam or ridge to press against the bottom of the foot.

\Vhat I claim is 1. The method of making shoes composed of felt or other shrinkable material, which consists in securing a padding on the'inner side of an outer sole, then securing an inner sole over said padding; then attaching said copies bf th'ie patent may be obtained for five'cents each; byradd're'ssing the Commissioner' Patents,

outer sole, padding and inner sole to an upper, and finally shrinking the shoe so formed upona hollow bottomed last;

2. The method of making shoes composed of felt or other shrinkablematerial, which consists in securing a padding on the inner side of an outer sole, then securing an inner sole over said padding by stitching along the edges ofthe outer sole, then attaching said outer sole, padding and inner soleto an upper by a line of stitching along the lower edge thereof and finally shrinking the shoe so formed upon a hollow bottomed last.

JAMES A. GREEN. Witnesses:

Gno. M. ALLEN, DAVID MALCOLM.

Washington, D. C. 

